The Media System In Russia

Seminar paper from the year 2009 in the subject Communications - Mass Media, grade: 64%, Coventry University, course: Global Media and Communications (within the MA Global Journalism), language: English, abstract: This essay analyses the Russian media system on the basis of the concept of comparing media systems developed by Daniel C. Hallin and Paolo Mancini in 2004. Therefore a brief sketch about the Russian media system is given in the second section of this essay. Section three contains an overview about Hallin and Mancini's approach of comparing media systems, which also will be discussed briefly. The advantages and drawbacks of using this concept on Russia will also be pointed out. In section four the tool mentioned above will be used to analyse the Russian media system. In section five it is discussed whether the Russian media system could fit in one of the three models approached by Hallin and Mancini. Concluding this essay suggests the development of a new fourth model to describe the specifics of Post-Soviet countries.

This book describes the rise of independent mass media in Russia, from the loosening of censorship under Gorbachev's policy of glasnost to the proliferation of independent newspapers and the rise of media barons during the Yeltsin years. The role of the Internet, the impact of the 1998 financial crisis, the succession of Putin, and the effort to reimpose central power over privately controlled media empires mark the end of the first decade of a Russian free press. Throughout the book, there is a focus on the close intermingling of political power and media power, as the propaganda function of the press in fact never disappeared, but rather has been harnessed to multiple and conflicting ideological interests. More than a guide to the volatile Russian media scene and its players, Media and Power in Post-Soviet Russia poses questions of importance and relevance in any functioning democracy.

This book introduces readers to the Russian media, its current landscape, and its history by outlining the chief challenges faced by Russian journalists on their quest for media freedom. Focusing on how the Government has traditionally controlled the media through censorship, financial involvement, and relations between media moguls and the State, the book analyses to what extent the Russian media has become 'free' since the fall of Communism. The author questions whether freedom is possible at all in a society where the media has traditionally been so closely linked to the State. There are chapters on different forms of media including print, television, radio and the Internet. Each chapter identifies the main hurdles faced by the particular medium and considers the potential it has for becoming truly independent. Key features include: Vivid examples and case studies of the power play between television and the State during the tumultuous 1990s Clear outline of various different forms of media Comprehensive historical overview supported with examples from relevant publications Drawing on her own experience as a professional journalist, the author, provides a first hand account of what journalists in Russia are encountering today. This position allows the author to frankly discuss the tangible issues that impact those involved in the media and their audiences. By providing both a description of the current situation and an overview of Russian media history, The Media in Russia offers a unique introduction to the field and is key reading for students across various disciplines including Russian studies, media studies and politics.

The end of communist rule in the Soviet Union brought with it a brave new world of media and commerce. Formerly state-owned enterprises were transformed, often through private ownership, and new corporations sprung up overnight to take advantage of the new atmosphere of freedom. Until now, most research on media and news production in Russia has focused on the scope of government control and comparisons with the communist era. However, extra-governmental controls and the challenges of operating in a newly capitalist environment have been just as important – if not more so – in the formation of the new media climate. Filling the gap in the literature, this book examines the various agents who ‘make’ the news, and discusses the fierce struggle among the various agents of power involved. Drawing on existing theories and scholarship, the book provides a wealth of detail on the actual daily practices of news production in Russia. Original research is combined with compelling first-hand accounts of news production and dissemination to provide an incisive look at the issues and power structures Russian journalists face on a daily basis.

This book provides a multi-faceted picture of the many complex processes taking place in the field of contemporary Russian media and popular culture. Russian social and cultural life today is strongly individualised and consumers are offered innumerable alternatives; but at the same time options are limited by the new technologies of control which are a key feature of Russian capitalism. Based on extensive original research by scholars in both Russia itself and in Finland, the book discusses new developments in the media industry and assesses a wide range of social and cultural changes, many of which are related to, and to an extent generated by, the media. The book argues that the Russian mass media industry, whilst facing the challenges of globalization, serves several purposes including making a profit, reinforcing patriotic discourse and popularizing liberalized lifestyles. Topics include changing social identities, new lifestyles, ideas of "glamour" and "professional values". Overall, the book demonstrates that the media in Russia is far from homogenous, and that, as in the West, despite new technologies of control, media audiences are being offered a new kind of pluralism which is profoundly influencing Russia's cultural, social and political landscape.

An international collection of papers focused on media, culture and society in postcommunist Russia. Contributors deploy a wealth of primary data in examining the kinds of issues that are central to our understanding of the kind of system that has been established in the world's largest country after a period of far-reaching change.

Master's Thesis from the year 2010 in the subject Communications - Media and Politics, Politic Communications, grade: A, City University of New York Brooklyn College, course: Analysis of media information in Russia and the West, language: English, abstract: There is a common view among Western scholars, politicians, and media professionals that Russia continues to be an authoritarian state, due to its history, and that it has recently begun to stray away from democratic processes or even slide back into moderate totalitarianism. Even worse, The Freedom House report (2009) ranked Russia one of the world's most repressive societies, putting it next to Rwanda. However, this and other reports present a distorted picture of democratic development in Russia, which reflects conflicting views between the Western and Russian understanding and measurement of democratic and non-democratic media systems, press pluralism, ownership structures, relative autonomy from the state, negative and positive control of press content, the role of ideology, and the legal frame that protects freedom of speech.

'The Media in Russia' is an introductive volume for students of various fields, including Russian studies, media studies and political science. It explores the media landscape and sets out to identify the chief challenges that Russian journalists have grappled with throughout the 300-year history of the Russian press.